Compiled by RYAN ONG. “For queer people who have endured traumas and rejections from families, Raya sometimes amplifies these feelings.”
Deaf and Gay and Proud to be Both
By ANTHONY CHONG. “While I found someone to guide me to be an independent deaf person, I could not find anyone who could guide me to be an independent gay person.”
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5 Min read
Call Me A Boy, part 3: Being an out trans man in a queer band
By FARIS SAAD. “Even if I lost everything else, I would still have my core group of friends who accept me as my handsome self. Without them, and without music, I wouldn’t have had the courage to transition.”
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6 Min read
Balik Kampung Tanam Avocado: A trans woman returns to Taiping
By JULYA OUI. “From having a queer family I had to come back to my immediate family. From having friends all over the city I came back to none. From living with my soul mate I came back to being alone.”
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5 Min read
Drawing The Virus Out: Making queer art on my own terms
By JEROME KUGAN. “I couldn’t sing or write about the virus that was inside me, but somehow I could draw it out. And that was what I did.”
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8 Min read
Call Me A Boy, Part 2: Fuck my blossoming womanhood
By FARIS SAAD. “I substituted my longing to be a boy with plotting to start a band. I soothed my dysphoria with music.”
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5 Min read
Call Me A Boy, Part 1: My journey into music and manhood
By FARIS SAAD. “At the same time that I knew I was destined to be a musician I also started telling people to call me a boy.”
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4 Min read
What Would You Say To Your Younger Self?
By PLUHO. In Malaysia, many LGBTQ+ persons face discrimination and hatred. Having had lived through hardships, what do we wish we knew when we were growing up?
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4 Min read
Ratu Segala Ilmu: Mencari IKON trans woman
Oleh DINA SALVATORE PATTINSON. “Dulu para peserta dinilai berdasarkan kecantikan, penampilan, pakaian, dan keyakinan diri. Di pentas Ikon TW pula setiap peserta dinilai lebih dari itu.”
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3 Min read
Shake It Off: Being gay, religious, and celibate
By F.C. Kumar. For gay men like me, maintaining celibacy is a long drawn and eternal struggle. While some religions like mine allow for sexual relations within marriages, LGBTIQ+ people who choose to be true to our sexuality and identity won’t enjoy this same leeway in this country.
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4 Min read
10 LGBTIQ+ Persons Share Our Most Awkward Dates in Malaysia
By PLUHO. If dating is hard, then dating as an LGBTQ+ person in Malaysia is impossible! We have to put up with so much more nonsense than our straight compatriots. …
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4 Min read
“I think I like guys… sometimes”
“Mel, I think I’m gay.” I stared at you for a long time. You looked away from me. It was our year of trying everything once. I thought you were just trying it out. But you were sure that you were not sure. As unsure as you were scared.
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5 Min read
My classmate started a rumour that I’m gay…
“One good thing about living in Sarawak is that the general attitude is quite open-minded and tolerant, if not accepting. I see it in the way we treat different people from different race, gender, and age. I hope the whole country can head in the direction of Sarawak.”
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3 Min read
